Structural supports, such as metal tubes, are hollow tubes that are used in a variety of applications. For example, some applications may include, but not limited to, structural components for vehicles, industrial equipment, building, infrastructural and architectural components, commercial and residential components, road guard rails and light posts, to name a few. As a specific example, an important aim of the automotive industry is to decrease fuel consumption by reducing the weight of the vehicle without sacrificing safety. It is preferred that the vehicle structure supports be lightweight to provide improved fuel economy. However, structure supports such as those applicable for vehicles preferably have properties of high strength to satisfy the strict standards of crash worthiness and thereby maintain the structural integrity of the vehicle.
Tubular structure supports may be produced by two distinct processes that may result in either a seamless or welded support. Raw metal, such as steel, is first cast into a workable starting form, and is made into a tubular blank by working the raw metal into a seamless tube or forcing the edges together and sealing them with a weld. The blank may then be formed into the structure support, for example via cold-working, warm-working, hot-working or a combination thereof.
In certain applications, it may be desirable that the finished structure support has variable dimensions such as wall thickness, inner diameter and outer diameter in an attempt to reduce the overall mass of the structure support or reduce the cost of materials used to form the component. For example, a structure support may have localized reinforcing of support sections via increased wall thickness in regions of high loads to compensate for increased strength demands. Additionally or alternatively, the structure support may include different internal or external diameters optimized to define a desired cross-sectional shape. Yet, the desirability of such conventional structure supports is limited in many respects. In one aspect, the increase in strength correlates to an increase in mass or wall thickness, which may not only contribute to an increase in overall mass but may also sacrifice the structural integrity of the structure support in regions of decreased wall thickness. In another aspect, manufacturing costs are significantly increased due to pre-forming and/or post-forming steps required to achieve a structure support with desirable dimensions and mechanical properties.
Accordingly, conventional structure supports and metalworking processes force a tradeoff between costs, mass savings and strength.
Overcoming these concerns would be desirable and could save the industry substantial resources.